Sunday, February 01, 2009

Out to Wash

I think any new mom is freaked out about most things. Everything is new and it doesn't matter how much advise you get the first time you do anything it's frightening. It's no different for the first bath. I recently bought a Baby Spa bath, it's basically an over glorified, expensive plastic bucket (except all the celebrities have one). I tried her in the bathtub and also the sink, involving me using the counter and my chin to squeeze out the shampoo, because I couldn't remove either of my hands for that task. I had to hold her up, if that meant getting soaked & covered in shampoo. The Baby Spa is supposed to help the infant sit up while you wash. However she kept sliding to the side and wanting to take a little dip, of course I didn't let her go under, but sit up by herself she didn't. I'm thinking I will get better use out of it when she is a little larger. The other problem is that I can't take it back to Nunavut. She'll probably be big enough the next time we are down and hopefully baby number 2 will get a lot more use out of it.Calling all moms: Anyone had to deal with Baby Acne? Do you have any super tips?

13 comments:

Baby acne = do not worry about it. Most babies get it and it will clear up by itself.

If you're really worried about it, Chinese wisdom would say you need to give your baby some water to drink. According to the Chinese, mother's milk is a "hot" food (it's a ying/yang thing) so you can give water to counteract that a little to clear up the skin.

Of course, if you tell a medical professional, they'll probably freak out at you because these days we're told babies need nothing but breastmilk. (And vitamin D, and vaccinations...)

I ended up giving Halia some fennel tea to help with mild colic. It did help her tummy and incidentally seemed to help her skin, too. LOL

But seriously, it's not something to worry about. Everyone will still say, "Awwwww, you're baby is so cute!" 'Cause she is. :)

http://www.safety1st.ca/product/detail.asp?ID=2637this is a fantastic tub that transitions well as they get bigger. Can one get shipped to you?baby acne - you may have already passed the stage where the first layer of skin peels off but my son had a whack of little pimple on his nose and only there. after the skin peeled off the y came off real easy with a cloth and a gentle push. Like a baby exfoliation. If they don't come off don't force them but I do acknowledge that I'm a picker, compulsive.

Hi Jen, I used a Daphne™ Infant Bath Seat until she was old enough to sit on her own. It was fantastic. I could use it in the sink or in the bath. It was small enough for her dad and her to have a bath together safely. I enjoy your blog,Catherinehttp://www.cabbageleafkids.com/thdainbase.html

Fawn is right - the baby acne will clear itself up on it's own. Joe had a bad case of it. And as for bathing, we had the coolest bath sling type of thing. It was flannel and it went over a little frame that went right in the tub, and when you were done you took it off the frame and hung it to dry. I'll try to find a pic of it. It was fantastic.

It's true what everyone says... there isn't a thing you can do (or should do) about baby acne. My son had it and I really, really wanted to do something about it (yeah, I was embarrassed). I resisted and I am happy I did. Many babies get it. And while it is so noticable, most photos don't capture it.

As for baby baths... it took me a while to feel comfortable with it for so many reasons! So small, no neck muscles, the crying. It might be easier to use a hair/body wash that has a pump? I didn't have one at first and I would squeeze a bit into a dish or old yogurt container lid just so it was easier to access.

We used a plastic baby tub and one of those mesh chairs. I didn't fill the bath very much but I ran the shower for a bit before so the room was warm.

It took me a while before I did regular bathing. I did a lot of sponge bathing. And even now, he's not that filthy and it is so dry, he gets a bath every 2-3 days but like still clean him with a cloth on the days in between.

Oh, and we used this great product called 'Camilia' for teething! I know it is a while away but while you are south, it might be worth stocking up. My son's first teeth were no problem coming in. But all other ones he would wake with a serious red cheek. We really liked Camilia.

For the tub thing, their Dad always took them in the shower with him until they were old enough to sit up in the tub themselves. He'd sit in the tub with baby on his legs. Great bonding time, plus baby doesn't get cold like in the baby tubs. Oh, and Mom gets to go into a different room and do something else!

Hey Jen -The other thing to remember is that babies have Mammilian Diving Reflexes until they are ~1 y/o. That means babies automatically hold their breaths when they are submerged in water - as long as you grab her quick, you have nothing to worry about!Bri

I think you can get a plastic tub here in Iqaluit if that is easier (for on your way home or if someone you know is traveling to/from Iqaluit).

I was 'forced' to use the regular tub when my son was about - OMG I forget how many months he was! Maybe 8 months? - when we were traveling. Anyway, we sat him on a hand towel in the tub and that seemed to work well.

And it's true... you don't need to use soap on a baby that young. I didn't even use lotion/moisturizer too... but when I finally did I think I should have started using it sooner. It's just so dry. We use a humidifier (I love it but hate cleaning it).

About Me

I moved to Nunavut 3 years ago with my husband and Alaskan Malamute. Here we started raising our first daughter Ezri and shortly before we left, became pregnant with our second.
As every journey has an end, we found ourselves back south again, dreaming of returning north one day. Please read about my adventures and continue to feel free to send me e-mails.